The Yuan Shikai Dollar or “Fat Man Dollar”, introduced by Yuan Shikai (16th September 1859 – 6th June 1916) in late 1914 following the beginning of his presidency of the Republic of China (ROC) in 1912, is somewhat of a mis-translation. In Chinese this coin type is known as “袁大头” or “Yuan Big Head” – Yuan referring to Yuan Shikai, rather than the Renminbi.

A silver coin with a fineness of 89% and typically weighing 26.4 g, it has a diameter of 39 mm. The obverse face features a profile image of Yuan Shikai. Pre-1919 coins have six characters, which when read right to left: “中華民國 (number) 年”, translate as “Republic of China (number) Year”, where the number indicates the number of years since the founding of the ROC. Coins minted in 1919 and after have...